Southern Miss vs Auburn Picks and Prediction for Saturday September 12 2026

The Southern Miss Golden Eagles travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama, to face the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, September 12. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:45 PM ET on SEC Network. Both teams enter at 1-0, with Southern Miss coming off a dominant 49-3 victory over Alcorn State and Auburn opening its season with a hard-fought 17-16 victory over Baylor in Atlanta. Auburn is currently favored by 29.5 points with the total set at 52.5. Before placing your wagers, check out our free college football picks for more predictions throughout the season.

Southern Miss Dominates Its Season Opener

Southern Miss couldn't have asked for a much better start to the Blake Anderson era, rolling past Alcorn State 49-3 in Hattiesburg. The Golden Eagles established control early and never allowed the Braves to seriously threaten.

The victory provides Southern Miss with some momentum before making the enormous jump from an FCS opponent to an SEC road game. The Golden Eagles showed they could create scoring opportunities consistently while their defense prevented Alcorn State from finding the end zone.

That defensive performance will be tested much more severely at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Southern Miss must also avoid falling into obvious passing situations because Auburn demonstrated against Baylor that it can control games without needing an explosive offensive performance.

Southern Miss has enough experience to make Auburn work, but this matchup will reveal much more about the Golden Eagles than their opening rout.

Auburn Wins a Defensive Battle Against Baylor

Auburn opened its season with a significant 17-16 victory over Baylor in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Tigers weren't dominant, but they made the decisive plays in a game that remained competitive until the final seconds.

Auburn finished with 389 total yards, including 259 through the air and 130 on the ground. The Tigers converted 10 of 18 third downs and repeatedly extended possessions against a Baylor team that accumulated 436 yards itself.

The defensive performance becomes more impressive when considering Baylor ran 99 offensive plays and generated 27 first downs yet scored only 16 points. Auburn repeatedly stiffened when the Bears approached scoring territory.

The concern for anyone laying nearly 30 points is Auburn's offensive production. The Tigers scored only 17 points against Baylor and now need to win by more than four touchdowns to cover. Southern Miss isn't remotely comparable to Baylor, but Auburn will need a much more efficient offensive performance to justify this spread.

Southern Miss vs Auburn Picks and Prediction

Pick: Southern Miss +29.5

Southern Miss +29.5 is my preferred side. Auburn should win comfortably, but laying almost 30 points with an offense that scored 17 in its opener is difficult. Southern Miss enters with confidence after a 49-3 victory and doesn't need to seriously threaten an upset to cover this enormous number. Auburn also has Florida coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium next week, creating little incentive to keep its starters exposed if this game is comfortably under control. Take Southern Miss +29.5.

Pick: Under 52.5

The Under 52.5 is my preferred total. Auburn's opener produced only 33 combined points, and the Tigers demonstrated they can win with defense and situational football rather than an aggressive offensive approach. Southern Miss should find scoring substantially more difficult against an SEC defense than it did against Alcorn State. A result around 35-10 or 38-10 would give Auburn a comfortable victory while staying below the number. Take Under 52.5.

Final Picks: Southern Miss +29.5 and Under 52.5